Media Guide 2016

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ABOUT THE HEAD OF THE HOOCH RACE DETAILS The Head of the Chattahoochee is a rowing regatta held in Chattanooga, TN every year on the first Saturday and Sunday of November. The regatta is a headrace – competitors row a 5,000-meter (3.1 mile) course on the Tennessee River ending at Ross’s Landing Park in Chattanooga. Headraces are typically held in the fall. In this form of racing all boats start sequentially by event and race against the clock.

The Head of the Hooch is one of the world’s largest rowing regattas, with 2,100+ boats racing over two days. More than 10,000 seats are rowed. Over 1,200 boats compete on Saturday alone, more in one day than any other regatta. Participants come from over 200 different organizations and in 2016 the regatta welcomes crews from 26 states and 4 countries, the Great Britain, Puerto Rico, and Canada. In the past, the regatta has hosted teams from Germany, Sweden, Mexico, Peru and Australia.

The Head of the Hooch has been recognized by national magazines as the regatta to attend thanks to the beautiful Chattanooga fall weather, downtown location, and some of the best competition in fall racing. The regatta is organized and hosted by the Atlanta Rowing Club, Roswell, GA and Lookout Rowing Club, Chattanooga, TN.

HISTORY OF THE HOOCH The Head of the Hooch, also known as the Head of the Chattahoochee and ‘The Last of the Great Fall Regattas’, was organized in 1982 by the Atlanta Rowing Club. The first year there were 500 rowers. For 16 years the regatta took place on the Chattahoochee River in the Roswell River Park located in Roswell GA. In 1997 the regatta had outgrown the park and had to move. From 1997-2004 the regatta was held at the 1996 Olympic rowing venue in Gainesville GA. The course there was located on the upper part of the Chattahoochee River.

In 2005, due to the large increases in entries each year, the regatta moved again to the Chattanooga Ross’s Landing Riverfront venue. The venue and city have the capability to accommodate the continuous increase in rowers and spectators each year. With this move, Atlanta Rowing Club partnered with Lookout Rowing Club in Chattanooga in order to help grow the Hooch into what it is today. Each year since 2005 The Hooch and the City of Chattanooga have welcomed more and more participants and spectators.

The Hooch is a unique event. It attracts athletes, family, alumni, local residents and those who travel to attend. It combines a rowing regatta, arts market and the close proximity of the Tennessee Aquarium, the Discovery Museum and Hunter Art Museum all within walking distance of the venue. Many hotels and restaurants are right in the downtown close to the venue. In all, a perfect match.

As the Hooch moves through its third decade, its organizers and volunteers continue to improve, grow and enhance the regatta that started as a small event on a Saturday many years ago.

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THE HOOCH IN NUMBERS THE COMPETITION

2,135 entries in 86 events throughout the weekend 1,274 entries on Saturday, 861 entries on Sunday 4 Adaptive Entries 10,077 Seats Rowed, or ~6,750 participants 205 Teams from 26 States and 4 countries Rowers from United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Great Britain

ROWER DEMOGRAPHICS

50.6% Female Rowers – 49.4% Male Rowers Percentage of entries by category:

o 50% Youth o 23% College o 22% Masters o 5% Open

Average competitor age – 23 years old Competitors from age 14-86 years old States with the most entries:

o Florida – 454 o Georgia – 217 o Texas - 189 o Ohio – 179 o North Carolina – 172

THE REGATTA

5,000-meter course length A boat starts racing every 15 seconds 17.8 miles of boats, if every shell was laid end-to-end. 368 Gold, Silver and Bronze medals awarded 755 Volunteer positions for the regatta – Over 4,000 volunteer hours the week of the

regatta – 100% volunteer run First year of The Head of the Chattahoochee – 1981 First year of The Head of the Hooch in Chattanooga – 2005 20,000 Spectators anticipated throughout the weekend Estimated economic impact of the Hooch–Over $5.5 million for the city of Chattanooga

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NATIONAL TEAM Two rowers from the 2016 Rio Olympic Games will be on the venue this year. Amanda Polk and Lauren Schmetterling won gold in the Women’s 8+ for Team USA. On Friday they will be visiting local schools and organizations in Chattanooga. They will be on the venue in Chattanooga this year signing autographs and talking to rowers.

EVENTS AND AWARDS

EVENT DEFINITIONS Youth – Youth events are limited to scullers, rowers and coxswains currently enrolled in high school and have not attained the age of 19. Championship – Championship events are open to all collegiate and club teams. Please see “College & Club” below for crews/rowers that must enter Championship events. College & Club – College and Club events are open to all collegiate and club rowing programs, except:

• Programs with NCAA division I, II, or III status. • Boats containing any rower who, in the current calendar year, finished in the top 6

places in any national team trials, national or international championships (e.g., FISA World Cup), NCAA Championships (all divisions), or IRA National Championship.

• Boats containing any rower who, in the current or preceding four calendar years, competed at the FISA World Championships or Olympic games.

• Boats containing any rower who, in the current or preceding eight calendar years, finished in the top three places at the FISA World Championships or Olympic games.

• Finished in the top 6 places in the preceding year’s Head of the Charles • Finished in the top 3 places in the preceding year’s Head of the Schuylkill, Head of the

Fish, or Head of the Hooch Masters – Rowers are 21 years old or older. Results have a handicap calculated based on the age of the rowers. Alumni - Alumni are rowing on behalf of and represent their Alma Mater. At least ¾ of the rowers must be graduates from the college or university they represent. All crews will be considered masters and the Hooch masters handicap system will apply. Open – Open events are open to all rowers and coxswains who have attained or will attain the age of 19 in the current calendar year. All open events have no handicap or weight limit. Novice - Novice events are limited to scullers, rowers and coxswains who have been competing for one year or less as of the first Regatta Day. Experience in sculling events does not count as experience in sweep events and vice versa.

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EVENTS AND AWARDS

ADAPTIVE EVENTS Adaptive races will be held Sunday beginning around 11:30 AM. The 2016 adaptive events will take place on the full 5000-meter course. There are 3 adaptive races this year, the Para M/W/Mix TA/TA 2x, the Adaptive Mixed LTA 2x and the Adaptive Mixed LTA/TA 2x. TEAM POINTS TROPHIES Team points trophies are awarded to the teams in four categories:

• Collegiate – Awarded to the college team with the most points • ACC – Awarded to the ACC School with the most points • Masters – Awarded to the Master’s Club with the most points • Youth – Awarded to the Youth team with the most points

Points are awarded for a 1st through 6th place finish in each event. The 2015 winners were: Colligate – Oklahoma City University Rowing – Looking to win for the 6th straight year in 2016! ACC – Clemson Women’s Rowing Masters – Chinook Performance Racing Youth – Miami Rowing and Watersports Center SELECT RACES RESULTS Full results back to 2005 can be found on our website at: www.headofthehooch.org/category/results/

SATURDAY, November 5th 2016: Event 4 – 9:33am – Men’s College & Club 4+ 2015 Hooch Medal Winners:

1st Georgia Tech Rowing Club 2nd University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 3rd University of Chicago

Both Georgia Tech and UNC are returning to the Hooch this year, however as medal winners from 2015 they will be moving up to the Championship 4. Both Texas Crew and Clemson, 4th and 6th respectively in 2015, will be looking to medal this year as a result. However, they have a couple fast clubs returning to the Hooch this year including Ohio State and Tulane. Event 8 – 10:38am - Women’s College & Club 8+ 2015 Hooch Medal Winners:

1st Community Rowing 2nd Clemson University Rowing 3rd Chicago Rowing Foundation

Many of the top finishers in 2015 are either moving up to the Championship 8+ this year or won’t be racing at the Hooch. Case Crew, 4th in 2015, and Northwestern, 6th in 2015, will be looking for gold as a result. But with only 15 seconds separating 4th-10th in 2015 and several new clubs racing this year it should be a battle for 1st, 2nd & 3rd.

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EVENTS AND AWARDS

Event 9 – 11:09am - Women’s Master 8+ 2015 Hooch Medal Winners 1st Chinook Performance Racing 2nd Composite entry from GAR/CBC/SARRC/CCRC/JRC/TSC/ARC

3rd Orlando Rowing Club The second place composite entry will be looking to retake gold from the Chinook boat this year after losing by only 0.3 seconds last year. With Chinook placing well in both Women’s 50+ and 40+ 8+s at the Head of the Charles, it looks like these two will be 1, 2 again in 2016. The battle for 3rd has a number of contenders though. Alexandria Community Rowing always has strong finishing boats, 4th and 11th in 2015, and finished 4th at this year’s Head of the Schuylkill. Orlando, Community Rowing, and Western Reserve will also be chasing down one of the top spots. Event 11 – 11:28am - Women’s Youth 8+ 2015 Hooch Medal Winners:

1st Cincinnati Junior Rowing Club 2nd St. Louis Rowing Club 3rd OKC River Sport

All three clubs are fielding entries again in 2015. The same three also medaled in 2013, with OKC dropping to third while the other two crews moved up. OKC will be looking to retake gold this year. They are coming off a dominating performance at their home Head of the Oklahoma, and a 17th place finish at the Head of the Charles. Atlanta Junior’s, finishing 24th at the Head of the Charles, will also be looking for a medal after missing out on 3rd by less than 1 second in 2015. Event 15 – 12:29pm – Mixed Master 2x 2015 Hooch Medal Winners: 1st Oak Ridge Rowing 2nd Fairmount Rowing Association 3rd Ridley Graduate Boat Club The Mixed Master Double saw a large increase in entries this year, growing a quarter of its size to 41 entries. The only returning medal winner in 2016 is Fairmount Rowing’s Red and Sara Sargent, who have attended the Hooch since it was run in Roswell, GA. Fairmount finished first in this event from 2009-2013 and is looking to be the favorite again this year. However, with lots of new and unknown entries this year there might be some surprise competition.

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EVENTS AND AWARDS

Event 16 – 12:53pm - Men’s Championship 8+ 2015 Hooch Medal Winners:

1st Oklahoma City University 2nd Florida Institute of Technology 3rd University of Virginia

Both Oklahoma City and FIT are returning this year although they won’t have to contend with University of Virginia’s strong boats. GA Tech, UNC and University of Kansas are all moving up to this event, after medaling in the College & Club 8+ last year, and will be looking to finish strong in this new event. GA Tech will be coming into the event after finishing 15th at the Head of the Charles, a strong result against a deep field. Event 17 – 12:56pm - Women’s Championship 8+ 2015 Hooch Medal Winners:

1st Clemson Women’s Rowing 2nd University of Oklahoma 3rd University of Miami

Neither the University of Oklahoma nor the University of Miami will be at this year’s Hooch leaving Clemson open to take gold again this year. However, Clemson placed a not very strong 28th at the Head of the Charles this year and will be facing strong competition from Old Dominion, University of Louisville, and University of Tennessee for the top spot. Both Community Rowing and Chicago Rowing Foundation will be looking to finish strong in this event, as well, after moving up from the College & Club 8+. Event 18 – 1:08pm - Men’s College & Club 8+ 2015 Hooch Medal Winners:

1st University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2nd University of Kansas 3rd Georgia Tech Rowing Club

With all the medal winners from this event moving up to the Championship 8+ this year, this is going to be some tight racing for the top spots. In 2015 5th through 11th were separated by only 20 seconds, and many of those clubs are racing again this year. Additionally, many of the clubs entered will be racing for the first time this fall at the Hooch, so they will all be looking to make their mark before going into the spring season.

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EVENTS AND AWARDS

Event 19 – 1:23pm - Men’s Master 8+ 2015 Hooch Medal Winners:

1st Chinook Performance Racing 2nd Western Reserve Rowing Association 3rd Atlanta Rowing Club

Atlanta Rowing Club’s dominance in the Men’s Master eight ended in 2015. ARC had won the event every year since 2008. They will be looking to retake gold from Chinook this year with a slightly modified lineup from 2015. They will still have a handicap disadvantage however they lost even on raw time in 2015. Western Reserve’s eight is also returning although it seems untested coming into this year’s Hooch with no results at any of the other major fall regattas. There is also the possibility of an upset from Potomac Boat Club who hasn’t raced in the Master’s 8+ at the Hooch before. Event 19 – 1:34pm - Men’s Youth 8+ 2015 Hooch Medal Winners:

1st Cincinnati Junior Rowing Club 2nd Jesuit College Prep of Dallas 3rd Belen Jesuit Prep. School

All three clubs will be fielding entries again in 2016 and will be racing against 63 other boats. All three entries should finish strong however the favorite this year has to be Atlanta Juniors. Atlanta finished a remarkable 4th at this year’s Head of the Charles, keeping up with some of the top youth programs in the country. OKC Riversport, Dallas United, Jesuit Prep and Belen Jesuit were also at the Charles finishing 13th, 22nd, 23rd, & 29th respectively. Cincinnati will have to defend their gold at the Hooch after having a quite fall season but does have a history of beating out the competition at the Hooch. Belen’s coach, Yunian Cabrera, was named “Junior Coach of the Year” by USRowing. Yunian Cabrera coached the Belen Jesuit Prep lightweight men’s eight to gold at the 2016 USRowing Youth National Championships after winning the SRAA Championships and the San Diego Crew Classic. Event 24 – 2:44pm - Women’s College & Club 4+ 2015 Hooch Medal Winners:

1st Community Rowing 2nd Huntsville-Madison County Rowing & Watersports 3rd University of Cincinnati

With these three clubs either not entered at this year’s Hooch or moving up to the Championship 4+, lots of clubs will be looking for medals the College & Club 4+. Vanderbilt and Northwestern, 6th and 7th respectively in 2015, will be looking to move up to medaling positions but there is likely to be some strong competition in the 53 boat field.

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EVENTS AND AWARDS

Event 31 – 4:53pm - Men’s Championship 4+ 2015 Hooch Medal Winners:

1st Florida Institute of Technology 2nd Georgia Tech Rowing Club 3rd Oklahoma City University Rowing

GA Tech will be looking to move up to 1st this year but will need to defeat a still strong FIT crew. FIT finished 1st at this year’s Head of the Charles making them the likely favorite to win. This year’s field does have some new and returning entries that will be looking for top spots as well. Ohio State is returning to the Hooch with an entry in this event, and Potomac Boat Club is fielding some competitive 4+s and 8+s at this year’s Hooch. Either of those clubs along with the usually high placing UNC and Oklahoma City will be looking for 3rd or possibly a first place upset. Event 32 – 12:56pm - Women’s Championship 4+ 2015 Hooch Medal Winners:

1st The University of Oklahoma 2nd University of Miami 3rd Clemson Women’s Rowing

Neither the University of Oklahoma nor the University of Miami will be at this year’s Hooch leaving the field open for Clemson to take gold this year. The field does have strong competition looking for gold too. The University of Louisville is returning to the Hooch, who beat Clemson in at the ACC Championship sprint races back in May, and the University of Tennessee who placed 5th at this year’s Head of the Charles.

SUNDAY, November 6th 2016:

Event 38 – 7:50am - Men’s Youth 4x 2015 Hooch Medal Winners 1st Y Quad Cities 2nd Belen Jesuit Prep 3rd Miami Rowing and Watersports The Youth sculling events, particularly the quads and doubles have grown significantly over the past couple of years. This year the Men’s Youth 4x has 58 entries. All three medal winners from 2015 are returning and should be the first three boats down the course, however, this is a highly completive event and last year the top 20 boats only had a minute between them. As many of these crews now have another year of practice in sculling boats we could see some new clubs moving into the top spots.

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EVENTS AND AWARDS

Event 39 – 8:09am - Men’s Youth Lightweight 8+ 2015 Hooch Medal Winners: 1st Belen Jesuit Prep. School

2nd Jesuit College Prep. of Dallas 3rd Miami Beach Watersports Center

The Youth Lightweight 8+ is an event that is not run in many other regattas. All three crews will be returning to the Lightweight 8+ in 2016 after a race that had Belen and Jesuit Prep of Dallas by separated only 0.5 seconds in 2015. Expect a battle between these two crews again in 2016 but we will have to wait and see how the other club’s lightweight lineups fair this year. Belen’s coach, Yunian Cabrera, was named “Junior Coach of the Year” by USRowing. Yunian Cabrera coached the Belen Jesuit Prep lightweight men’s eight to gold at the 2016 USRowing Youth National Championships after winning the SRAA Championships and the San Diego Crew Classic. Event 44 – 8:54am – Women’s Championship 1x 2015 Hooch Medal Winners 1st Indianapolis Rowing Center – Michelle Lazorchak 2nd Vesper Boat Club – Emily Maxwell 3rd Cambridge Boat Club – Lauren Detlefsen The Women’s Championship 1x contains several new entries this year. Michelle Lazorchak is returning to defend her gold from 2015 however much of the rest of the field is new this year. Seeded second in the race is Megan Gradek. Megan is former member of the US National Team and co-founder of the Peachtree City Rowing Club. The event also has entries from Potomac Boat Club, Community Rowing, and Queen City Watersport all of whom are home to several fast rowers. Event 54 – 9:28am – Men’s Master 1x – Ages 55 to 64 2015 Hooch Medal Winners 1st Unaffiliated – Dave Downey 2nd Oak Ridge Rowing Association – Michael Schay 3rd Baltimore Rowing Club – Marc Daemen Several of the Masters singles races have some strong competition in them, particularly in the older age groups. This year the Men’s Master 1x – Ages 55 to 64 is the perfect example. The 22 boat field has the top three boats from 2015 returning along with the 3rd place finisher in the 2015 43-54 age group, Francisco Vicava who actually had the fastest raw time of the three. There is also an Unaffiliated entry from Johnathan Rich who won gold in the event in 2013 as well as several National and Regional Championships in this age group.

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EVENTS AND AWARDS

Event 59 – 9:58am - Men’s Youth 1x 2015 Medal Winners:

1st Detroit Boat Club – Sorin Koszyk 2nd Miami Beach Watersports Center – Ruben Merenfeld 3rd McCallie/Girls Preparatory School – Jackson Moore

The Men’s Youth single is the sixth largest event at this year’s Hooch with 69 entries. Of the medal winners in 2015, only Jackson Moore, bronze, is returning. We will see if he can hold off a strong field of rowers though, including a lot of clubs that are only attending the Hooch for sculling events. The event this year also has Redwood Scullers’ Doran Finley racing in it, who is coming off of a 2nd place finish at the Head of the Charles. Event 60 – 10:21am - Women’s Youth 1x 2015 Hooch Medal Winners 1st Y Quad Cities – Emily Delleman 2nd Y Quad Cities – Caroline Sharis 3rd OKC Riversport – Remy McMeekin Emily Delleman bettered her third place finish in 2014 with gold in 2015, and will be looking for gold again this year. She will be racing a field of 62 this year after the event has almost doubled in size since 2013. Emily’s club, Y Quad Cities, has some very fast Women’s Youth scullers and had 5 boats in the top 13 last year. Her teammates, including Caroline Sharis, will likely be her main competition. The field also includes entries from Southern California Scullers Club. One of their rowers, Ellen McGill finished 5th in the Southwest Youth Championships back in May. Event 78 – 12:42pm – Parent/Child 2x New for 2016, the Parent/Child double provides an event for parents to row with their son or daughter, something that can’t always happen in other double events due to USRowing rules. The event is picking up in popularity at several fall regattas. This year the Hooch will be hosting 8 entries from across the east coast. It will be fun to see which family team turns in the fastest time. Event 84 – 1:44pm - Women’s Youth 4x 2015 Hooch Medal Winners 1st Y Quad Cities 2nd Greater Dayton 3rd The Stewards Foundation The Youth sculling events, particularly the quads and doubles have grown significantly over the past couple of years. This year the Women’s Youth 4x has 61 entries. All three medal winners from 2015 are returning but the clear favorite is still Y Quad Cities. Their program is very strong in sculling events and is home to several girls with who have won World and National Championships in the quad and doubles. Other clubs to look out for are St. Andrews Rowing Club, who finished 9th in this even at the Head of the Schuylkill and won the event at the Chattanooga Head race a few weeks ago. There are also entries from Parati Competitive Rowing and Southern California Scullers, both attending the Hooch for the first time and will be looking to turn in fast times.